Seeker's Quest for Success!

Yeah, it was pretty intense. The whole deadlift-squat mix....not my cup of tea. Oh well, no pain no gain. I also noticed you're 5'10"! Pretty cool :D
 
15s

30 minutes of warm up

AM
WU(Warm Up) - 1x10@85lbs
Bench - 2x15@100lbs

Pullups - 1x5@BW

WU - 1x10@BW
Deadlift - 2x15@140lbs

WU - 1x10@2.5lbs
Lateral Raises - 1x15@17.5lbs

WU - 1x10@2.5lbs
Bent Over Raises - 1x15@17.5lbs

PM
WU - 1x10@85lbs
Squat - 2x15@130lbs

WU - 1x10@45lbs
Rows - 2x15@80lbs

WU - 1x10@35lbs
Military Press - 2x15@70lbs

WU - 1x10@125lbs
Shrugs - 2x15@160lbs


Result: My biceps were tired, I've been having difficulty keeping my diet in check because I've had a super busy week at school, making up crap etc. At least this is only 15s, I should be able to get the diet steady soon. Weight wise, it's getting a bit tough. I might start showing RPE's so you guys can see how difficult each work out is on me and provide necessary suggestions...
 
15s

30 minutes of warm up

AM
WU(Warm Up) - 1x175lbs@RPE 8.5
Bench - 2x15x105lbs@RPE 7.5

Pullups - 1x9@BW, 1x6xBW


WU - 1x195lbs@RPE 7.5
Deadlift - 2x15x145lbs@RPE 8

WU - 1x2.5lbs
Lateral Raises - 1x15x22.5lbs@RPE 9

WU - 1x@2.5lbs
Bent Over Raises - 1x15x22.5lbs@RPE 9


Result: I entered some type of beast mode, I have no idea how but bench was easy as fuh and I did 9 pull ups. NINE! That's crazy for me! I started focusing on the color black instead of white because apparently their is a psychological reasoning behind it...then I switched my warm ups to do heavy weights once so it incorporates all fibers into being used and warming up. Either way, something changed. I could do heavier weights for bench, because I straight destroyed that 105. Onto 10s! Which is this morning...
 
It does feel great when you get into the zone and everything starts clicking doesn’t it? It’s usually a sign your doing things right.
 
This morning I believe I found the key, taking a hot shower before working out to help the blood flow. I wasn't able to have as intense of a work out as the previous which I didn't rinse off in the hot shower and was semi-cold....so now I know it helps me also. Plus I was groggy still hehe.

Thanks though! Yes, it does feel good...
 
TheSeeker07 said:
15s

Result: I entered some type of beast mode, I have no idea how but bench was easy as fuh and I did 9 pull ups. NINE! That's crazy for me! I started focusing on the color black instead of white because apparently their is a psychological reasoning behind it...then I switched my warm ups to do heavy weights once so it incorporates all fibers into being used and warming up. Either way, something changed. I could do heavier weights for bench, because I straight destroyed that 105. Onto 10s! Which is this morning...
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Dude, I tried this (focus on color black) last night on my squats and either it may have worked - I struggle with squats usually, but I was up and down with no problem at all; I felt stronger than normal
 
10s

30 minutes of warm up

AM
WU(Warm Up) - 1x175lbs@RPE9.5
Bench - 2x10x140lbs@RPE7.5

Pullups - 1x7xBW, 1x4xBW@RPE6

WU - 1x195lbs@RPE7.5
Deadlift - 2x10x165lbs@RPE6

WU - 1x10lbs@RPE5
Lateral Raises - 1x10x2.5lbs@RPE4

WU - 1x@10lbs@RPE5
Bent Over Raises - 1x10x2.5lbs@RPE4


PM
WU - 1x195lbs@RPE7
Squat - 2x10x140lbs@RPE6

WU - 1x125lbs@RPE6
Rows - 2x10x70lbs@RPE5.5

WU - 1x105lbs@RPE7.5
Military Press - 2x10x70lbs@RPE6.5

WU - 1x195lbs@RPE7.5
Shrugs - 2x10x160lbs@RPE6


Result: This is for Monday, I thought it posted but apparently it did not.....basically I wasn't able to push myself because I wasn't able to shower to warm my body up in the morning. I also realized that I go to fast in my work outs, so I will change that. That's all I could remember I typed....sorry guys /:
 
10s

30 minutes of warm up

AM
WU(Warm Up) - 1x175lbs@RPE9
Bench - 2x10x145lbs, 135lbs@RPE7.5

Pullups - 1x5xBW, 1x5xBW@RPE6.5

WU - 1x195lbs@RPE7.5
Deadlift - 2x10x170lbs@RPE7

WU - 1x20lbs@RPE7.5
Lateral Raises - 1x5lbs@RPE5

WU - 1x@20lbs@RPE8
Bent Over Raises - 1x5lbs@RPE5


PM
WU - 1x195lbs@RPE7
Squat - 2x10x145lbs@RPE6

WU - 1x125lbs@RPE6
Rows - 2x10x75lbs@RPE5.5

WU - 1x105lbs@RPE7.5
Military Press - 2x10x75lbs@RPE6.5

WU - 1x195lbs@RPE7.5
Shrugs - 2x10x165lbs@RPE6

Result: Bench is giving me problems, it seems like it's too much weight for me....so I went lower so I could complete 10. Eh, stupid.


10s

30 minutes of warm up

AM
WU(Warm Up) - 1x175lbs@RPE9
Bench - 2x10x140lbs@RPE7

Pullups - 1x5xBW, 1x5xBW@RPE6.5

WU - 1x195lbs@RPE7.5
Deadlift - 2x10x170lbs@RPE7

WU - 1x20lbs@RPE7.5
Lateral Raises - 1x10lbs@RPE5

WU - 1x@20lbs@RPE8
Bent Over Raises - 1x10lbs@RPE6

Result: I wasn't able to eat my diet to the fullest of it's abilities because I was rushed through out the day.....it wasn't a good work out day at all.
 
I haven't posted in a while, but I've been working out still. I currently weigh 180lbs. I'll update my dimensions etc. later tonight, I thought you guys would wanna know how I'm doing.

UPDATE:

Thighs - 25 1/2 in.
Calves - 15 1/2 in.
Forearms - 11 1/2 in.
R. Bicep - 14 in.
L. Bicep - 13 1/2 in.
Waist - 32 1/2 in.
Chest/Back - 41 1/2 in.
Neck - 15 in.
 
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Hello everyone!

I've realized that doing logs is a very important means of keeping track with how much I gain in both strength, size, and overall progress through my work out journey. I've taken a break from working out because of my lower back pain due to a misinterpretation of the deadlift. I'll be setting up my maxes within a week or so, but until then I have some questions about dieting that I'm sure a lot of people have trouble with the most because working out is the easiest part, plus sleeping...haha!

Dietary Questions

Carbs. What is the difference between complex carbs, dietary fibers, sugars etc.? I know complex carbs are better for you because they feed you over long periods of time compared to sugars I think? Are we supposed to avoid sugars unless after working out and maybe before? Dietary fibers.... What's their use besides helping you poop? Is that why they are good because bodybuilders eat a lot so a lot of dietary fiber helps get it all out as fast as possible so we can ingest as fast as possible?

What are good sources of carbs? I've heard beans were a good source so I figured rice+beans would be an excellent mix but what kind of beans are good? I know soy beans have an excellent amount of carbs/protein.

Fats. I've heard fish is where you can find a good source of fats but I eat tuna and it doesn't seem to have a whole lot of fat in it. Salmon seems kinda expensive if you ask me... What's some good fish to eat?

Protein. Eggs(whites?), chicken breast, tuna, yogurt. That's pretty much what I eat for protein. I put a question mark behind whites because currently I don't eat just the whites, I eat the whole egg. I noticed there's a significant amount of fat in the yolk, is that why it is preferred to eat the white because of the less fat? Are we supposed to focus on eating low-fat in general?

Milk. What's the opinion on milk? I LOVE milk, it's so good but I'm afraid I'm drinking too much of it. I drink 2% and I'm not sure whether or not that's a good thing. I also see that there's a lot of sugar in it so I'm not sure if that's bad or not.

What percentage of carbs/fats/protein should I aim for when bulking?

Counting calories etc. Do you add all the carbs then multiply by 4 etc. or do you go based off the nutrition facts?

Work Out Questions(continued)

Schedule. I actually like the idea of going back to the single workouts instead of split between AM/PM. Would you workout in the morning or afternoon? I would say morning because studies show an increased testosterone level in the morning compared to afternoon.

Flyes. Yes, I understand. My chest has grown due to the bench but it's not grown enough in my opinion, it seems the inside hasn't grown all too much but the outside has grown a significant amount. I am expecting more results from it than I am receiving, should I try for a pause-bench to really stretch/load the fibers? I feel like my arms get the workout more than my chest sometimes since they seem to fail first.

Cardio. I've heard from a exerpt from Kelly Bagget that cardio helps in building muscle. Is this true?

Stretching. Mark Rippetoe plays down stretching but should the incoporation of static/dynamic stretching aid in prevention of injury?
 
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Simple carbs aren’t all bad and tend to be a good idea immediately post workout to replenish depleted muscle glycogen. As for complex carbs I like oatmeal simply because I blends well with my protein shakes, however any low GI foods would do well. One advantage of rice and beans is that they make a complete protein. From my reading soy products contain natural estrogen compounds so I avoid them now so as to keep my testosterone/estrogen balance more on the “test” side.

There is nothing wrong with eating some egg yolks since to make testosterone your body needs cholesterol. Some people’s bodies make enough cholesterol that adding it in the diet may not be necessary so you might want to get your levels tested to see if adding dietary cholesterol might help you.

Also, don’t make the mistake of eating a ultra-low fat diet unless you have specific health reasons to do so. Fat especially EFA, like in fish oil, and even some saturated fat is necessary for proper growth. I shoot for about 25-30% of my calories to come from fat. 25 when I’m lighter and 30 when I’m heavier just to make the amount of food I must eat manageable.

I prefer to workout in the morning but that’s mainly a scheduling thing as I ensures I don’t get sidetracked. I’m not sure if the test boost has any effect or not.

As I understand it Flyes don’t really target the inner chest. That is a misnomer caused by the stretch feeling they give (stretch response can be helpful though, read Vicious’ Pimp my HST PDF). Chest shape is largely genetic. You may be able to grow your upper chest some by doing your chest work with a slight incline but it won’t amount to much and should IMO supplement Dips, Declines or Flat bench since most people can do more weight with those.

If your arms are failing first try a wider grip which should place more emphasis on your pecs rather than your arms. However, my preference would be to focus on bringing my arms up to the level of my chest rather than working around them. You could also try squeezing your pecs at the top of the bench movement to get a little extra out of each rep.
 
grunt11 said:
Simple carbs aren’t all bad and tend to be a good idea immediately post workout to replenish depleted muscle glycogen. As for complex carbs I like oatmeal simply because I blends well with my protein shakes, however any low GI foods would do well. One advantage of rice and beans is that they make a complete protein. From my reading soy products contain natural estrogen compounds so I avoid them now so as to keep my testosterone/estrogen balance more on the “test” side.
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That was my original thinking about simple carbs after working out. A complete protein? Explain. Wikipedia says that it provides all the essential amino acids, is that what completes a protein? Estrogen?! No thanks haha.

grunt11 said:
There is nothing wrong with eating some egg yolks since to make testosterone your body needs cholesterol. Some people’s bodies make enough cholesterol that adding it in the diet may not be necessary so you might want to get your levels tested to see if adding dietary cholesterol might help you.
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Eating 12 eggs with them all having egg yolk would be bad though, correct? I understand that having 2-3 with yolk is fine but all would be a source of high amounts of fat?

grunt11 said:
Also, don’t make the mistake of eating a ultra-low fat diet unless you have specific health reasons to do so. Fat especially EFA, like in fish oil, and even some saturated fat is necessary for proper growth. I shoot for about 25-30% of my calories to come from fat. 25 when I’m lighter and 30 when I’m heavier just to make the amount of food I must eat manageable.
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Yeah, I gotta get some fish oil... I've heard too much good things about it not to have it.

grunt11 said:
I prefer to workout in the morning but that’s mainly a scheduling thing as I ensures I don’t get sidetracked. I’m not sure if the test boost has any effect or not.
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I guess I can test out the difference on here then let everyone know if I can tell a difference physically.

grunt11 said:
As I understand it Flyes don’t really target the inner chest. That is a misnomer caused by the stretch feeling they give (stretch response can be helpful though, read Vicious’ Pimp my HST PDF). Chest shape is largely genetic. You may be able to grow your upper chest some by doing your chest work with a slight incline but it won’t amount to much and should IMO supplement Dips, Declines or Flat bench since most people can do more weight with those.
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I understand it's genetic but I'm certain my chest has the possibility of becoming bigger than it currently is... I was figuring my upper chest would be benefited by doing some basic press' but I don't think I could do chest dip since I don't have a machine to perform it on.

grunt11 said:
If your arms are failing first try a wider grip which should place more emphasis on your pecs rather than your arms. However, my preference would be to focus on bringing my arms up to the level of my chest rather than working around them. You could also try squeezing your pecs at the top of the bench movement to get a little extra out of each rep.
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I will try the squeeze at the top to see how that works but I believe what you were saying about keeping your muscles all in coordination with each other so I'll stay at the same grip width so all my muscles receive equal treatment.

Btw. What were your thoughts about the cardio/milk/stretching/counting calories?
 
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That was my original thinking about simple carbs after working out. A complete protein? Explain. Wikipedia says that it provides all the essential amino acids, is that what completes a protein? Estrogen?! No thanks haha
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A “complete protein is something that contains all the “ essential amino acids:”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acid

Basically these are the amino acids that your body can not produce on its own.

Certain plants and also artificial chemicals are or act as estrogens in your body, theoretically these will act against testosterone, which if you are trying to grow is a bad thing.

Eating 12 eggs with them all having egg yolk would be bad though, correct? I understand that having 2-3 with yolk is fine but all would be a source of high amounts of fat?
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I got lazy and stopped buying and cracking eggs and just started buying liquid egg whites. I find that I get enough extra cholesterol from red meat and even my protein powder though I occasionally include yolks in my eggs for flavour if I make omelets or other egg based meals.

Yeah, I gotta get some fish oil... I've heard too much good things about it not to have it.
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Yes fish oils or EFAs are a must. Besides a multivitamin and creatine they are probably the most important supplements you can take. Possible more important than creatine.

I understand it's genetic but I'm certain my chest has the possibility of becoming bigger than it currently is... I was figuring my upper chest would be benefited by doing some basic press' but I don't think I could do chest dip since I don't have a machine to perform it on.
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You don’t need a machine. If you can’t do 15 or more chest dips then do negatives until you can. IMO Chest Dips are a better chest, triceps and shoulder exerciser then the Bench Press. same thing if you can’t do 15 Chin Ups. Do negatives until you can.

Btw. What were your thoughts about the cardio/milk/stretching/counting calories?
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I count calories meticulously. Diet and rest are the most important things that complement your exercise program. I eat a lot of cottage cheese because I like it and it had a high proportion of casein a slow absorbing protein. I also often add low fat instant milk to my daily shakes however, I have a mild allergy to a protein in milk so I don’t overdo it. If you tolerate milk well it’s great. A Marine I served with in New Zealand was on the Marine Corps Power Lifting Team until he put his back out. In his opinion most protein supplements were a waste of time. He suggested just adding powdered non-fat milk to your diet rather than buying expensive protein supplements.
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grunt11 said:
A “complete protein is something that contains all the “ essential amino acids:”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acid

Basically these are the amino acids that your body can not produce on its own.

Certain plants and also artificial chemicals are or act as estrogens in your body, theoretically these will act against testosterone, which if you are trying to grow is a bad thing.
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Yeah, that's what I thought they were originally. I was planning on buying black beans now instead of soy beans.


grunt11 said:
I got lazy and stopped buying and cracking eggs and just started buying liquid egg whites. I find that I get enough extra cholesterol from red meat and even my protein powder though I occasionally include yolks in my eggs for flavour if I make omelets or other egg based meals.
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Would it be more cost efficient to buy liquid egg whites or just buy the eggs themselves?


grunt11 said:
Yes fish oils or EFAs are a must. Besides a multivitamin and creatine they are probably the most important supplements you can take. Possible more important than creatine.
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You suggest buying multivitamin pills to take also? I currently do not take either fish oil or multivitamins?

grunt11 said:
TheSeeker07 said:
I understand it's genetic but I'm certain my chest has the possibility of becoming bigger than it currently is... I was figuring my upper chest would be benefited by doing some basic press' but I don't think I could do chest dip since I don't have a machine to perform it on.
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You don’t need a machine. If you can’t do 15 or more chest dips then do negatives until you can. IMO Chest Dips are a better chest, triceps and shoulder exerciser then the Bench Press. same thing if you can’t do 15 Chin Ups. Do negatives until you can.
Click to expand...

How would I be able to perform chest dips then? I would love to do them at my house because if you couldn't tell that's where I work out. I thought that if you weren't able to perform 15 you just do as many as you can?


grunt11 said:
I count calories meticulously. Diet and rest are the most important things that complement your exercise program. I eat a lot of cottage cheese because I like it and it had a high proportion of casein a slow absorbing protein. I also often add low fat instant milk to my daily shakes however, I have a mild allergy to a protein in milk so I don’t overdo it. If you tolerate milk well it’s great. A Marine I served with in New Zealand was on the Marine Corps Power Lifting Team until he put his back out. In his opinion most protein supplements were a waste of time. He suggested just adding powdered non-fat milk to your diet rather than buying expensive protein supplements.
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How do you properly count calories though? Do you just add the carb/protein/fats then multiply it by it's generic calorie count or something else? I drink milk religiously, should I be drinking no fat milk instead and would the sugars in milk be deter mental?
 
Would it be more cost efficient to buy liquid egg whites or just buy the eggs themselves?
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I can’t say since I never figured it out. I switched to liquid egg white for convenience more than anything.

You suggest buying multivitamin pills to take also? I currently do not take either fish oil or multivitamins?
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Yes I would take both. While you might get enough from your diet it doesn’t cost that much to be sure.

How would I be able to perform chest dips then? I would love to do them at my house because if you couldn't tell that's where I work out. I thought that if you weren't able to perform 15 you just do as many as you can?
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I have a power rack and use two Olympic bars set on the safety bars to do my dips. Someone here suggested using a “walker,” rather ingenious IMO. Also the advantage of having two Olympic bars is that I can superset exercises that require them.

If you can’t do enough Dips to meet your rep requirements you can cheat by helping with your legs. However, be sure to do negatives when you reach the 5s or later and eventually you’ll have no problem doing them for more reps than you need. When I started 8 months ago I could only do about 3 Dips at body weight. Now 20 is no problem even though my body weight is up over 30 lbs.

How do you properly count calories though? Do you just add the carb/protein/fats then multiply it by it's generic calorie count or something else? I drink milk religiously, should I be drinking no fat milk instead and would the sugars in milk be deter mental?
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Yes I just multiply by 4 kCal for each gram of protein and carbs and 9 kCal for each gram of fat. I shoot for 500 kCal over maintenance so that there’s little chance I’m short changing myself.
 
grunt11 said:
I can’t say since I never figured it out. I switched to liquid egg white for convenience more than anything.
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I see, I enjoy cooking anyways but I'll check into the liquid or pill versions.

grunt11 said:
Yes I would take both. While you might get enough from your diet it doesn’t cost that much to be sure.
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Good point.

grunt11 said:
I have a power rack and use two Olympic bars set on the safety bars to do my dips. Someone here suggested using a “walker,” rather ingenious IMO. Also the advantage of having two Olympic bars is that I can superset exercises that require them.
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A walker.... That's a great idea!! Thanks, I could head to good will and buy one of those.


grunt11 said:
If you can’t do enough Dips to meet your rep requirements you can cheat by helping with your legs. However, be sure to do negatives when you reach the 5s or later and eventually you’ll have no problem doing them for more reps than you need. When I started 8 months ago I could only do about 3 Dips at body weight. Now 20 is no problem even though my body weight is up over 30 lbs.
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I don't really know how many I can do, I'll find out once I purchase a walker and test it out.

grunt11 said:
Yes I just multiply by 4 kCal for each gram of protein and carbs and 9 kCal for each gram of fat. I shoot for 500 kCal over maintenance so that there’s little chance I’m short changing myself.
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Alright, sounds good. I was personally thinking of having a diet consist of the following meals: eggs, rice, beans, broccolli, potatoe, yogurt, carrots, tuna, chicken breast and I would need some kinda fish for fat. Any suggestions?




Schedule. I divided it up like this: Push - Chest Dips, Pull - Rows, Push - Press, Pull - SLDL/Good mornings/Leg Curls, Push - Bench, Pull - Chin ups, Push - Deadlift/Squat, Pull - Shrugs. I decided I would do it all in one sitting because that's just my preference to be honest and I get a great feeling from doing all of it at once. Feel free to change it if you think it needs to be. I am also going to employ dynamic stretching due to it's positive effect on lifting weights vs. traditional static stretching which has an inverse relation. On off days I was gonna do a light job around the block once or twice.
 
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Alright, sounds good. I was personally thinking of having a diet consist of the following meals: eggs, rice, beans, broccolli, potatoe, yogurt, carrots, tuna, chicken breast and I would need some kinda fish for fat. Any suggestions?
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My suggestion is while bulking to eat what you like. Just keep you protein up and don’t go ape with high fat food but otherwise I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Keep in mind that eating a very low fat diet will probably hinder your growth.
 
I have to echo grunt's last post. You really are way overthinking this diet thing... Just eat a good selection of vegetables, a little fruit, then a ton of protein. I either count calories or at the very least count my grams of protein and then eat as much as I can on top of that. Total calorie amount and total amount of protein is going to be more important than what you are actually eating if you are trying to gain mass.

As grunt said earlier, flyes will not change the shape of your pecs. If you feel your inner pecs are too small, then you need to grow your pecs larger. I've noticed as mine grow larger than the inner part has started to fill out better, so I think you just need to be patient.
 
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